** The U.S. is preparing for a high-risk boarding of a massive oil tanker accused of evading sanctions tied to Venezuela, marking the most dangerous moment yet in Washington’s expanding maritime crackdown. Officials say the vessel ignored U.S. orders, reversed course at sea, and is now being pursued as elite forces move into position, according to a new report.
** California this week dropped a lawsuit officials filed against the Trump administration over the federal government’s withdrawing of $4 billion for the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project.
** Four Northeast governors have demanded a classified briefing from the Trump administration to understand the national security risks underlying the pause on offshore wind project leases. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee called for the pause to be lifted immediately on the five offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Nantucket.
** The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns. Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday that the government’s order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional.
World
** Iran said last week it had seized another foreign tanker carrying 6 million litres of what it described as smuggled diesel in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf, saying it was carrying four million litres of smuggled fuel, state media reported on Friday.
** Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States has expressed interest in establishing cryptocurrency mining operations at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The statement came during a recent meeting between Putin and Russian business leaders, where he discussed ongoing negotiations over the plant’s future, according to a report from Russian outlet Kommersant on Dec. 25.